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Understandably, many consumers have been asking us to reveal the names of the products in the Seven Sins of Greenwashing study. Unfortunately, and for several reasons, it is our policy to not reveal the names of either the ‘sinners’ or the ‘saints’. The first reason is that we want to play a constructive role in educating consumers and companies about avoiding the pitfalls of greenwashing. It is not constructive to penalize some when all are learning, particularly since our study examined only a sample of products. Providing names from a sample would be quite unfair. Others (the United States Federal Trade Commission and the Canadian Competition Bureau, for example) have the opportunity and obligation to prosecute cases of misleading green advertising.

We encourage you to support all retailers, companies, and products that are offering green benefits and, at the same time, to demand better and clearer green claims. After all, choosing any green product, even if there is some greenwashing involved, is better than choosing products that aren’t even trying.

If you can find products that are tested and certified by a reliable third-party, you can trust that the products are genuinely greener products.

When eco-labels aren’t available, support retailers and products that offer the most detailed information on products. Remember the Seven Sins and look for proof, explanations, and education. By choosing products with more details on green benefits, you will be more likely to find and support green products.